


Anthem in My Heart

by Meadow Lion (Meadow_Lion)



Category: The Holiday (2006)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Fluff, Humor, Missing Scene, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-22
Updated: 2018-12-22
Packaged: 2019-09-24 15:55:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17103581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meadow_Lion/pseuds/Meadow%20Lion
Summary: Why wait?





	Anthem in My Heart

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ultra](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ultra/gifts).



> Ultra, I wish you a happy holiday and hope you enjoy your story, which entails a couple of missing scenes between Arthur's ceremony and the New Year's Eve party at Iris' home.
> 
> The title is from _The Greatest Showman_ 's "From Now On."
> 
> Any mistakes are mine alone.

"I've been thinking, we really don't have to wait until New Year's for a date," Iris said to Miles, while Arthur made his last round of farewells at the reception following his massively successful ceremony.

Miles raised an eyebrow. "Is that so, Simpkins?"

"We've already had a couple lovely outings together, even if we weren't -- " She looked away for a moment before returning her gaze steadily to his. "We weren't calling them dates at the time."

"I know what you mean," he said, offering his arm for the sweet tuck of her hands.

She obliged and leaned, just slightly, against him. "So, how's tomorrow look for you?"

The smile broke free before Miles could even try to stop it. "Tomorrow, huh?"

"Why wait?" she asked with an answering smile.

Tilting his head, Miles said, "Well, by that logic, we ought to go out right now, but . . . "

"But you know that I want get Arthur safely home," Iris finished for him, "and, once I'm all the way back to that side of town, I'd rather not venture out again tonight."

" _We'll_ get him home," Miles corrected.

Iris feigned a swoon that could've been an excuse to lean closer, her body a gentle warmth along his side. "Such a gentleman."

"Who, me?" Arthur said from behind them.

Iris turned, discreetly freeing one arm from Miles and lending it to Arthur instead, who took it with apparent gratitude. She beamed at Arthur and said, "Of course, always!"

Arthur grinned. "For not being an actor, you're a pretty good liar. But I've had such a wonderful night, I'll let it slide this time."

"Very kind, thank you," Iris said.

"No," Arthur said, "thank _you_ two. You got me up on that stage."

Miles countered, "That was all you, my good man. We just gave you a little nudge."

Arthur made a disbelieving face. "How about now you 'nudge' me to the car to get home?"

Only when they were at the valet stand did Miles remember he'd driven separately -- no thanks to Maggie -- and riding home with Iris and Arthur wouldn't make sense. Iris was unsurprisingly gracious, despite the prolonged pause in their earlier conversation.

Carefully shutting the front passenger door after Arthur was comfortable and his seat belt buckled, Iris turned to Miles. "Please, don't worry about it. We can talk more tomorrow morning, yes? Pick up where we left off?"

"Count on it," Miles said. He held both her hands and lifted each to his mouth for a quick kiss. "I'll call you at 11."

Her face reflected his own eagerness, and she squeezed his hands before letting go. "I can't wait."

~*~*~

Their call the next morning was brief: agreeing on what Iris called "a proper lunch date this time" was easy. When she opened Amanda's front door for Miles at noon, though, her eyes were red and damp.

"Is something wrong? We can reschedule after all." He wanted to reach for her but wasn't sure it was the right moment for that.

"No, no!" She was turning her phone over and over in her hands. "It's . . . it's silly, really. I started watching _The Mission_ \--"

Miles smacked his palm against his cheek. "Oh, God, I'm sorry, Iris. I should've warned you, that movie is pretty rough compared to what Arthur's been recommending for you --"

"Not at all! I mean, yes, it looks like it will be, and I appreciate the warning, but that's not the problem." She rolled her eyes at herself. "When I stopped the movie a bit ago to finish getting ready, the T.V. switched to live programming, and a commercial, of all things, made me suddenly really miss Charlie."

Frowning, Miles tried to follow the thread, and tried not to panic that he'd pushed for too much too soon and screwed this up. "Wasn't the guy's name Jasper?"

Her face crinkled up in a way that looked half like she was about to laugh, half like she wasn't sure how to let him down gently, and all adorable. Miles really, really didn't want to have screwed this up.

Then a giggle escaped her. He felt himself sag a little in relief and quickly made himself stand straight again.

Iris stuck one hand in her pocket and pulled out a picture that she pressed into his hand. "Charlie is my dog, Miles."

"Ahh." Miles let out a snort of his own. He glanced at the picture before returning it to her. "I'm glad at least the reigning object of your affections is such a cutie."

"He is, but, as I said, I feel silly for getting upset like that. It's only two weeks away from him." She tucked the picture back into her pocket and held up her phone in her other hand, her expression sheepish. "Yet I was getting tempted to call and beg Amanda or my brother to have Charlie bark into the phone for me."

The adorability might kill Miles. He'd die happy, though. He shook his head at her with a smile. "You're not silly. Why don't we Skype Amanda?"

Iris blinked. "Why don't we _what_ her?"

Gasping in mock disbelief, Miles urged her back into the house. "Do you not have Skype in England yet? I'm positive Amanda has it set up on her office computer. You are in for a treat."

Again Iris gestured at him with her phone, and he noticed its older style. "I have to admit, I'm a tad behind on technology sometimes. My home facilities aren't exactly top of the line."

"That thing is a relic, Iris!" Amanda exclaimed when they called her. "I don't know how you get any work done at home. But you can totally Skype my phone from my computer. Miles can help."

"I am at my ladies' service," he agreed.

Iris' smile was suffused with such hope and pleasure, it sent cascades of her melody through his head. He hummed while he pulled up the program and started the call, and he heard Iris begin to harmonize softly.

When a moving version of the scruffy dog from her picture appeared, she abruptly cut off her part of the song to coo at the screen instead.

Miles kept up his accompaniment, content to be background noise for this reconnection.

For their date, for Iris, he could wait.


End file.
